29: 8th grade

As much as I hated the 8th grade, I vaguely remember most of it. Why is it so hard for me to remember? Isaiah thought to himself.

Isaiah completely ignored the lesson given by Mrs.waters and waited for the period to end.

Ring!!!

"Finally, now I can focus on finding some familiar faces,'' Isaiah thought, leaving the classroom.

The halls were filled with people in their cliques meeting up for lunch.

"I forgot how big this school was. We don't even have to have uniforms like most in the city," Isaiah thought, looking down at his clothes.

"What am I wearing? Did I think this was cool? I legit look like a nerd." Isaiah says, shaking his head.

Isaiah heads to the cafeteria, hoping to find someone familiar. Isaiah walks past this husky Spanish dude who somewhat looks familiar but continues to walk past.

"Yo, that's how you're going to do me? I've been waiting for you." The husky Spanish kid says, touching Isaiah's shoulder so he would turn around.

Isaiah turns around and gets a good look at the guy.

"Emmanuel?" Isaiah says out loud.

"Yea…..? Dude, you're acting weird today; you good? Emmanuel says.

Isaiah has to fight back the tears in his eyes.

"How could I forget my best friend in middle school? He's been my day one since 6th grade.? What happened?" Isaiah thought of rubbing his eyes.

"I'm good, bro. I guess I'm a little hungry." Isaiah replied.

"Ight koo, hurry up and get yourself together. You don't want anyone seeing you cry. You know they don't play out here.

"Right," Isaiah says, pulling himself together.

"Right, I completely forgot this is middle school. Besides the safari, this was the straight jungle." Isaiah thought.

They get in line for lunch and see a kid getting made fun of by a group of boys.

"I know this fool didn't come up here wearing no fake Jordans? A rowdy kid says, pointing to another one. At the same time, the rest of the people in his group start laughing.

"Adonis and his boys are at it again," Emmanuel says, low key pointing in their direction.

"Adonis?… oh right, he's the one that started JSB (Jumping stupid Boys). That's such a dumb name, but they were feared throughout the school." 3 out of the 5 members were from Elite families, so some of them had superpowers. Isaiah recalled.

"Aye, can you get me for lunch today? I left mine at home." Emmanuel said, scratching the back of his head

"Yea, you know I got you," Isaiah replied.

"Emmanuel comes from a low-income family, so most of the time, I paid for his lunch. It wasn't a big deal since my family was well off." Isaiah recalled.

They walk through the lines and get seats at a long row of tables.

"S*** Of course, we get seats close to JSB. Emmanuel cursed.

The cafeteria had seven long rows of tables. Once you go through the line, you get in another line and wait to be seated at the long tables in an orderly fashion.

Sometimes the seats down a row fill up unevenly , and you could be split from the person you want to eat with. Which was a no-go in middle school. You could easily end up in a lion's den if you're Separated from your clique.

"Yo, it's that nerdy kid Isaiah's and that husky kid he's always with." One of the boys said, taping at Adonis.

"Oh, it is, didn't you run him his money, and he gave it to you every time? Another kid says and laughs.

" You right, I'm about to go to Holla at him," Adonis said, getting up.

(Author's note: I apologize if it's hard to read for people who speak English as a second language. Keep in mind I'm from the States, and I'm what you call "urban" 🤴🏿. So I write "slang." Read it like it's Tupac or Snoop Dog talking or something. 😂)

"Aye, Isaiah, right. Bless yo boi with some bread (money). I'm trying to get some snacks later." Adonis said with a smirk

"Adonis! Go back to your seat," a teacher called.

"Here in a minute, I gotta ask him something," Adonis said, blowing off the teacher.

The school saw lunch as a period of class so students could get out of their seats until the bell rang.

Isaiah turns around from eating and looks at Adonis' face.

" I still can't believe this kid was in middle school. His parents gave him the perfect name for how he looked." Isaiah though

Adonis was 5'8 with dark melanated skin. With short locs and had on all name brand clothing.

The unwritten king at school when it came to delinquents.

"Nah, I'm good, that's ain't about to happen," Isaiah said, turning back around.

Emmanuel's face was in shock, but he knew why Isaiah blew him off.

"What was that!?" Adonis said aggressively. Putting his hands together folded in front of him.

(This is the "about to fight" stance in the hood)

Isaiah turns around.

"That ain't about to happen! get up out of my face and go back to your little friends." Isaiah said.

Everyone at the table had a shocked expression on their face. Even if Isaiah didn't want to give his money, being disrespectful to Adonis at all, especially publicly, always ended madly.

"That's how you going to do me?… Ight bet that. I'll catch you later, believe that!" Adonis said, going back to his seat with the teacher yelling at him.

"Dude, what is up with you today? Do you have a death wish? You know JSB doesn't play. Especially Adonis." Emmanuel said, worried-looking back at the group.

" I did what I had to do; you know, if I backed down, then all of the other delinquent cliques would put me on their radar," Isaiah replied.

"You publicly challenged him, dude, and disrespected their group. You know they can't let that slide. Emmanuel said.

"Don't come to school tomorrow, for real. They're going to try to jump you outside in the morning.

With all of the other cliques watching like usual."

Every other morning kids would gather outside of school and watch the delinquent cliques fight. Somedays, it would be some random kid getting beat up or someone joining to be a part of a new clique.

That's the only way to join a delinquent clique is to fight your way in.

JSB was at the top of the food chain. And with a school filled with 1000s of kids, it was a big deal.

Although some kids could use magic or superpowers, it was against the law to use them publicly. So they all just fought with brute strength alone

"Yea, I know, you're probably right. You going to be good by yourself tomorrow," Isaiah said.

"Yea, I'll be good, watch your weird anime and try not to think about it when you come back; hopefully, he'll forget about it," Emmanuel said, finishing his lunch.

"Hopefully," Isaiah said.

…

But Adonis didn't forget, and what happens next changed Isaiah's life forever.